Tao Porchon-Lynch in Dubai: Day 1

February 17, 2016–The United Arab Emirates welcomed 97-year-old yoga master Tao Porchon-Lynch for its inaugural XYoga Dubai Festival. In a sea of mats and upstretched arms, more than 9,000 people joined the opening yoga demonstration at Burj Park in Downtown Dubai for the biggest public yoga session in the Middle East. Organized by Dubai Tourism and XDubai–an initiative focused on promoting an active lifestyle in Dubai–the festival featured yoga, meditation, live music, healthy food and even a children’s play area. In total, there were 53 sessions and demonstrations, 38 guest yogis and 20,000 attendees over the two main days of the event, February 19th and 20th.

We have brought together a fantastic group of celebrity, international and local yogi talents for a celebration of all things yoga, catering for yoga fans of all abilities.

XYoga Dubai Festival is a year-round multi-event celebration of yoga kicking off for the first time in 2016. With the growing popularity of outdoor activities in the emirate, XYoga Dubai is designed to highlight the accessibility of yoga as a lifestyle choice to help encourage people to defy their bodily limits and mental boundaries.

I joined Tao for the 13-hour flight from New York to assist her in offering three programs, including a pre-activation event at Al Barari’s Heart & Soul Spa on February 17th. In a very rare occurrence for Dubai, it rained very hard midway through Tao’s outside yoga session so we moved everyone inside the Spa. I moderated an intimate discussion with Tao which ended up being extra special for the attendees. We are quite thankful for the hospitality of Javad and members of his team including Dovile Slavinskaite, Sara Fakhouri and Mina Karaiskou. We stayed at Manzil Downtown Dubai and had delectable meals throughout the trip.

Below are some pictures from our first 24 hours. Click on each image to make it larger. You can Like and Share each image, as well as spread the light by sharing this link and these hashtags: #ThisIs97 #TaoExp #TaoPorchonLynch. Then, check out the other days!

EXPERIENCE MORE TAO IN DUBAI:

DAY 1

Contributed by Teresa Kay-Aba Kennedy of www.IAmPowerLiving.com and www.PowerLivingMedia.com. President of Power Living Enterprises, Inc., Terri is a Harvard Business School-trained Strategist, Certified Meditation & Yoga Teacher, and Master Coach recognized as a “Young Global Leader” by the World Economic Forum. She specializes in helping people de-stress and realize authentic success. After a corporate media & technology career, she founded the first yoga studio in Harlem and served six years on the Board of Yoga Alliance (including Chair and interim CEO). Called “smart with a heart,” she has been featured in media around the world including Oprah’s book, Live Your Best Life! Along with her mother, Columbia University-trained journalist Janie Sykes-Kennedy, Terri is a co-author of Tao’s autobiography, Dancing Light: The Spiritual Side of Being Through the Eyes of a Modern Yoga Master. A sought-after speaker and avid photographer/videographer with a love for storytelling, she often travels with Tao moderating conversations on her life, assisting in yoga workshops and documenting their experiences.